http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... Libya.html


For a maritime nation that is remarkably embarassing.

Get used to it. You either spend the money or you don't try to be an international police force.

TBH I think it's about time we withdrew as an international police force. Slash the armed forces to a defensive size & spend the £20bn saved on training schemes.

Unfortunately those in power still think we are a global superpower with an Empire hence we must have this - and Tridents replacement costing us squillions we don't have

I blame the idiots who decided to fund an "upgrade" of hand built 50's airframes that were all different. Anyone with half a braincell could have told them that that would have been a money pit. For the number of aircraft being built, a modern off the peg solution bought from America would have been much more financially sensible.
They could have spent half the money and had the fleet they wanted.

I would have rather kept the Nimrods and the Harriers and scrapped the nuclear deterrant. We can still strike most countries with nuclear armed cruise missiles or aircraft. Only a few countries would be immune, though as part of a wider military coalition this would be irrelvant. The fact that the coalition have left the decision till just after the next election means that they are not brave enough to make the right decision.

I would have rather kept the Harriers and reduced the international development budget.
Why that was immune from cuts is beyond me.